Key case



March 19, 1929 A. B. PORTER KEY CASE Filed Feb. 29, 1928 Patented Mar. 19, 1929.

UNITE STATES FATENT QFFICE.

ALPHQNZO B. PORTER, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONIJEGTIOUT, ASSEGNOB TO G. E. PREI-ITICE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEVI BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

KEY CASE.

Application filed February 29, 1828.

This invention relates to key cases of the type having an enclosing body of leather or fabric and a plurality of spring clip devices for individually supporting the keys, the said clip devices being pi ot-ally mounted in a metal plate attached to the body of the leather casing, and the subject matter of the present application is in the nature of an improvement upon the device illustrated a d described in the patent to George E. Prentice No. 1,517,013, dated November 25, 192a.

In said patent the spring clips or key hangers are mounted by a swivel connection upon a raised )latform or ledge formeo in a metal plate carried by the casing, the outer face of said platform being disposed in a plane substantially parallel to the body of the casing and the connecting links being mounted for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the platform. Owing to this dis position of the platform, it has been found that the key hangers can not properly be rotated in the intended manner when they are swung outwardly from the casing to lie substantially parallel to the casing body. lVhen so projected, the hangers are disposed at right angles to the axis of rotation of their swiveled connections and it is accordingly inn ossible properly to turn the hangers and the connecting links.

As in ordinary use a key is drawn from the opened key case and held so that its hanger extends parallel to the body of the casing. the aforesaid characteristic of said irior construction is open to objection, when it is decided to insert and turn the key in a keyhole. It is accordingly the principal object of the present invention to remedy this difiiculty by providing a key case having a platform inclined downwardly to the plane of the key case, so that the connections swiveled in the platform may be rotated about an axis oblique to the body of the casing.

The improved construction is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a front elevation of a key case equipped with the improvement, the flaps of the case being opened to expose the key hangers and a few keys supported thereby;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a similar section showing the key Serial No. 257,910.

hanger projecting outwardly from the casing parallel to -the body thereof.

The key case may comprise a flexible casing of leather or fabric, consisting of a back wall or body portion l and a pair of side flaps 5 adapted to overlap upon the body portion and to be fastened by a separable clasp 6; a metal plate 7 secured flat-wise upon the body portion, as by eyelets 8, and having a raised platform or ledge 9 along its upper margin; and a plurality of key hangers 10 carried by links or tie pieces 11 swiveled for rotation in apertures 12 in the platform 9.

The precise construction of the swiveled connection is not material to the present invention. As shown in said patent and in the present drawings, the link 11 may be formed of wire and may have an eye adapted to receive the looped end 13 of a hanger substantially in the manner of two links of a chain, and the ends of the link may pass through one of the openings 1:2 in the platform and then flare outwardly so to bear against the rear face of the olatform, at 14:, thereby holding the 1 11 in operative engagement with the plate 7. As the platform 9 spaced from the body of the case, the ends 1% of the links are free to turn in the intervening recess, yet each link is secured against separation from the platform.

The principal feature of this invention resides in the disposition of the platform 9 which, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, connected to the body of the plate 7 by a shoulder 15, and which is inclined downwardly from said shoulder and toward the body of the casing 4t, so that its free upper edge 16 lies adjacent to or in contact with the inner surface of the casing near the top edge thereof. Accordingly, when a key is swung outwardly from the casing upon its hanger so that the hanger extends upwardly from the inclined platform 9 and substantially parallel to the body of the casing, as indicated in Fig. 3, the key hanger may be rotated upon its connection until the key is appropriately positioned for insertion into and rotation within the keyhole. In such position the key hanger may be freely turned and its link may be readily rotated without binding; for, by reason of the disposition of the platform, the axis of rotation of the hanger is disposed at an oblique angle to the aXisof rotation of the link, thereby providing a freely operative universal connection.

I claim:

1. A key case having a rigid platform coinprising a portion which inclines up wardly and inwardly toward the top of the case, and swiveled connecting members at tached to the inclined portion 01"- the plat form and adapted to carry key hangers.

2. A- key case comprising an outer casing, a rigid plate secured to the casing, said plate having a portion which is spaced from the casing and inclined upwardly and inwardly toward the top of the casing, and a plurality of swiveled connecting members secured to said inclined portion and adapted to carry key hangers.

3. A key case comprising an outer casing, a rigid plate secured to the casing adjacent to the top of the latter, said plate comprising a part which is offset from the plane of the casing and which inclines upwardly and inwardly toward the casing, said inclined part being elongate transversely of the casing and terminating closely adjacent and parallel to the top edge of the casing, said inclined part having openings therethrough, and link members swiveled in the respective openings and adapted to carry key hangers.

Signed by me at New Britain, Conn, this 27th day of February, 1928.

ALPHUNZO B. PORTER. 

